Evolution bill may lose its 'origins of life' wording

A controversial bill challenging the way evolution is taught in Utah public schools is evolving again.

SB96's House sponsor, Rep. Jim Ferrin, R-Orem, wants to substitute the bill a third time, taking out all references to the "origins of life" but still aiming to keep teachers from telling students they evolved from apes.

But that can happen only if the House Rules Committee agrees to put the bill up for its final legislative debate.

The changes didn't win over school officials who oppose the bill, primarily because it treads on the state school board's authority to set curriculum.

But a new poll shows Utahns support the Legislature's move to regulate evolution lessons.

Fifty-five percent of Utah residents surveyed by Dan Jones & Associates somewhat or strongly favor legislation requiring public school teachers to "teach that evolution is not indisputably proven and there could be other reasons for human development."

Forty percent said they strongly or somewhat oppose such a measure, and 5 percent didn't know.

The poll of 415 Utah adults, conducted for the Deseret Morning News and KSL-TV Feb. 14-16, has a plus or minus 5 percent error margin.

Evolution is central to the high school biology core curriculum.

Sen. Chris Buttars, R-West Jordan, last summer said he received parent complaints that children were being taught they evolved from apes, bringing into question their faith on creation. His SB96 has attempted to stop that from happening.

The bill's Senate debates centered on the merits of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution and were chock-full of religious references.

Opponents have feared the bill would open the door to teaching creationism or "intelligent design" — the idea that life is too complicated to be explained in public school by Darwin's theory alone, which a Pennsylvania federal court earlier this winter struck down as unconstitutional.

Ferrin attempted to take religion out of the discussion when the bill came to the House. His proposed substitute would erase references to the origins of life and tighten language to zero in on evolution.

"We do not presently teach origins of life in our curriculum, and I didn't want to inadvertently have a requirement (the State Board of Education) create curriculum to address that," Ferrin said.

So, students could be told there is some evidence that leads to the inference that apes and humans share a common ancestor. But that could not be taught as an indisputable fact.